Title: What's In A Name?

Rating: K


Felicity loves these moments. She's cuddled up next to Ray on the couch in his penthouse and they both have a hand on her stomach—she's not showing yet but it's only a matter of time. Today they're discussing baby names—middle names specifically. Felicity had announced three weeks ago that their baby was being named Charlie whether Ray liked it or not. Thankfully, Ray agreed it was a great name.

Per Jewish tradition, they had decided that baby Palmer would have at least one name in honor of a dead loved one. They chose the middle name. Felicity's first thought was Sara, but John and Lyla already named their adorable baby girl that. And besides, she and Ray had decided on a nice gender neutral name.

She's scanning a list of names in a baby book but none are jumping out at her. And that's when she realizes that Ray's been awfully quiet for the past few minutes. She tilts her head up to look at him. "You okay?"

He seems to be debating with himself about something but eventually he just comes out and says, "I'd like to give her a name in honor of my uncle Dave."

Ray's uncle Dave had been the only supportive member of his family when Ray was a child and Felicity knows the two of them were close. Dave died of cancer shortly before the two of them had gotten together.

Felicity likes the idea but, "Well, Dave isn't exactly a gender neutral name, is it?" Neither is Charlie, she knows people would argue. But still, Dave is pushing it.

He laughs softly. "In my family, our take on the tradition is giving a baby a middle name that starts with the same initial as a dead loved one." Ah, that makes a lot more sense.

She thinks it over for a minute. "Well... did you have a particular name in mind?"

He's quiet for several moments before he quietly says, "I like the name Devin."

Felicity smiles. "Charlie Devin Palmer," she says, testing the name out. "I like that."

She looks down at her belly, where Ray's fingers are entwined with hers. She gives his hand a squeeze and says, "Do you like that name, Charlie?"

They feel a kick in response and she looks up at Ray, eyes wide. It's the first time they've felt their baby kick and Ray laughs. "Charlie Devin Palmer it is then," he announces.


A/N: I am so happy with how this one turned out! So, apparently a lot of other Jewish families do the whole name that starts with the same letter of a dead relative thing, but in my family in particular, we do that specifically for the middle name so Ray's actually using my own family's Jewish naming tradition here!